Oct 23, 2009

Today is the first moving day... Trey and I have been married 3 1/2 years and we have lived in 4 different places. We have been here the longest. We have had a great almost-2-years here.

When we moved into this apartment it was January and I was pregnant. I was trying not to carry anything heavy, but probably wasn't as careful as I should have been. It was a happy day- we had been living with Trey's parents for a few months and were excited to have our own place again.

This time is bittersweet. I am not sure if I am more excited or more sad. I am excited for change and for meeting new people and redecorating. I am excited for the big windows and vaulted ceilings in our new apartment. I am sad that we are leaving such a good ward with so many good people that I love.

I am sad that we are leaving an apartment we brought our first baby home to. We made so many sweet memories here. We took lots of walks by the duck pond and to the playground. We loved living in our own "tree house" where we could see the seasons change right outside our window. Allie loved pressing her little nose against that window and looking outside everyday. Then she would stick her tongue out and suck on it and I would laugh at her.

It is sad to leave here with those memories and so many others, but I know we will be making lots more wherever we go. And, when the time seems to be flying by too fast to remember everything, it is good to remember that I will have forever with my little family.

Oct 22, 2009

We are going to be moving this weekend. I am excited, but not looking forward to all the work! We probably won't have the internet for a while, so I will be getting a lot more done than usual :) Hopefully I will see you all sooner than later!

Oct 19, 2009

On Saturday I took a class from Nicole Hill (Photography 101). It was an all day class from 9-4 where we learned a lot about how to shoot manually and also learned lighting techniques and a few other things. Nicole is an amazing photographer and was an awesome teacher and very nice and down to earth.I can't believe how much I learned! She explained things so well and made everything I have learned and that I learned from her just come together and make sense! I am so happy I was able to do it.Trey and Allie got to have a daddy-daughter day and they had fun. They went down to Grandma and Grandpa's and also went to some friends' to watch the BYU game. I met up with them there after my class and got to watch the last half of the game.I took these pics of Allie on Sunday after church. I can't believe how much my pictures have improved since taking the class! I really couldn't be happier about it.It was hard to get a good one of Allie because she is so active and won't look at me anymore. I have been having some focusing issues lately because my Nikon D100 has a pretty bad lens on it and it is a harder camera to focus than most. I am hoping to get a new lens soon, once I know what I want, and get the hang of focusing on my camera.All I did to these pics was sharpen them a little. There are just a couple I lightened, but the exposure and coloring looked great on all of them right out of the camera! That doesn't happen often for me!I am excited to keep refining my skills and eventually be the photographer I want to be!No, my husband doesn't wear jerseys...just on game days :)

Last Thursday, Adrian, Cindy, and I put together a photo shoot I have been wanting to do for a while now. Cindy had all of these really cool old things from the family (1930's and earlier) and she let me use some of it for the shoot. Adrian helped me set it up and Jamie and Jeff were willing to be our models. It was a perfect day, and Cindy even came along to watch Allie for me. We went up Provo Canyon to do them and I am pretty happy with the results. Here is a preview...there will be more coming after our move when I actually have time to get them ready :)

So, since I was going to make this for Allie, I figured I better get a hat I could tie so it would stay on. I found this little knitted hat at DI for $1.

I sewed the main part of the hair on first, but I should have sewed on the bangs first. I just set my sewing machine to the tightest stitches. It was a little hard to do this, but you can also just keep the foot of the sewing machine up while you do it. Continue onto the back with the yarn until it is mostly covered.

Oct 14, 2009

I want ALL of these dresses. They are modest, stylish, and not too expensive. Perfect for Utah winters.You can't see the bottom of this red one, but it's cute.If you are looking for the perfect black dress (everyone needs one) ALL of these are great:

Oct 11, 2009

I didn't want to buy a costume for Allie this year, and I was going to use the BYU cheerleader dress size 4T for the next four years. However, I just thought up an almost-free costume that I thought would be pretty cute - a doll costume! All I had to buy was a thing of yarn for $1 and a hat to sew the yarn onto for $1!! I will be using one of her dresses, tights, and Mary Jane shoes.

But, I need your opinion...should I leave the wig down straight?...

Pigtails?Or Braided?Please excuse the poor quality pictures! Thanks for your input! If any of you would like to see how I made it I can put up pics to show you.

Oct 10, 2009

I am really not stylish at all...my wardrobe consists of plain t-shirts, sweaters, and long-sleeved shirts in different colors. I know it's sad. I decided to use some of the lace out of the huge bag of it I found at DI for $3. They aren't perfect, so don't look too closely, but I like them :)

My name is Jess, welcome to my blog! My "favorite things" include fashion & design, giveaways, crafts, mom & kid stuff, and any of the other little things that make me happy. Get comfy and stay a while- I hope I can brighten your day!